What are the basic regulations surrounding transfers?

Question

What are the basic regulations surrounding transfers?

Accepted Answer

The regulations regarding the transfer of registration marks from a donor vehicle to another (recipient) vehicle or to a retention certificate (V778) are as follows.

The donor must either hold both current MOT and tax; be taxed and MOT expired; MOT expired and tax expired less than six months.
A fee of £80 to the Department of Transport is payable for a vehicle to vehicle transfer.
A donor vehicle must be subject to MOT testing at some time during its life.
Registration marks legally are owned by the Secretary of State for Transport - it is the right to display the mark on a vehicle which is granted or transfered. If you pass on a vehicle to a new keeper (i.e you sell your car without first transferring the number plate off it), then you lose control of the registration mark.
You can't use a mark to make a vehicle look newer than it is e.g. you can't assign a 68 series registration to an 51 registration car. You are allowed to use an older registration.
You can't put a cherished number onto a Q registered vehicle.
Registration marks which have never been used on vehicles before, are issued in the form of certificates of entitlement (V750). So if you find the registration you've always wanted, you can keep it on a certificate until you have a suitable car. Marks on certificates are ideal to give as surprise presents since the actual vehicle documents aren't needed until after the event, so you can give the certificate and a pair of plates, attractively wrapped. Click on the make your own plates button if you're interested.
To assign a registration mark on a certificate to a vehicle, you need to post your registration document (V5C) with the certificate to DVLA, Swansea for the new reg to be put on and then returned direct to you. The assignment fee will already have been paid at the time of purchasing the mark, or placing it in a retention, so there will be no more costs to pay.
You can apply to put the vehicle into your name at the same time as the transfer by filling in the appropriate part of the V5C.
When you take a cherished registration off your vehicle, you will be given back a registration mark suitable for the year of the car.
A cherished number can be put onto a brand new vehicle. This involves either sending the appropriate entitlement certificate to the car dealer or by us requesting the application for first registration (V55) from the car dealer. The usual Department for Transport fees are payable since you are choosing a special reg, not just taking one from the car dealer's association.